


Solstice

by Tye22



Series: Mchanzo Week 2017 [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Hanzo isn't quite sure what the hell he is doing with this idiot, Jesse becomes a believer, M/M, McHanzo Week 2017, lunar deity Hanzo, odd job McCree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 15:52:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11256126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tye22/pseuds/Tye22
Summary: Jesse doesn't quite know how to handle his encounter with an actual deity. It must have been a dream, right? Right? Wrong.Part 2 of the series for Mchanzo Week 2017 - AU/Canon Divergent(I decided to continue with the mythology AU I used for day 1 and I'll probably carry it through the whole week)





	Solstice

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a day behind but oh well,
> 
> Here is part 2 of this weird little thing I've cooked up. Enjoy :D

It had to have been a dream, Jesse thought to himself for the millionth time. It had been just over a month since his little ‘fall’ and he still wasn’t sure what to make of the events of that night. Whenever he closed his eyes he could feel the soft hands on his face and he could swear he heard a soft chuckle on the air on nights when the moon shone particularly bright. 

He had decided to move on from the farm that had sheltered him for what felt like ages, setting out early one morning, bidding farewell to the kindly owners and promising to swing by if he was ever in the area again. The old woman, Maggie, had given him a pack of supplies, admonishing him to keep well fed before retreating back into the house with a sad smile. Her husband had said afterwards that Jesse apparently reminded her of their son who had passed away years earlier. Jesse had decided then that he would try his best to come this way again. It was totally for Maggie’s sake and not because he hoped to somehow run into the ethereal beauty he had ‘met’ on their lands again. 

No, not at all. 

One of the first things Jesse did when he reached a sizable town was to seek out a decent wifi spot and do some research. Luckily for him the town sported a small library, a relic in this day and age, with an adjoining coffee shop. After checking in with the surly old man running the place he decided to check out the small history section in the back before jumping on the web. As expected there were rather few volumes pertaining to ancient mythology. He did find a few rather stunning illustrations of all manner of ethereal beings linked to the moon and stars.

Gazing at the faded illustrations he felt a little stupid for pursuing this thing. There was no way this was real. He had just hit his head and seen some weird (beautiful) shit and that was that. He sighed and returned the few books he had been paging through to their shelf before making his way to the coffee shop. The girl behind the counter smiled widely at him as he stepped in. Her red hair was pulled up in a tail that swung wildly with her enthusiastic movements. Jesse could tell that she probably didn’t see a lot of customers with the way she seemed starved for conversation. 

Within minutes of meeting her, Jesse felt like he knew her whole life story. He smiled as she gushed about an upcoming trip to the UK to meet up with an online friend she had made ages ago. He chuckled at the starry look she got when speaking of the girl, picking up on her not so subtle crush.

He settled into a small booth near the back of the cozy shop, linking up his phone to the wifi as he waited for his order. His best shot was searching for a few of those names he had heard that night. Artemis, Chandra, Khonsu, Luna, Tsukuyomi etc. They all seemed to be lunar deities from a range of different cultures spanning the globe. All of them had varied origin stories and differing accounts as to what their purpose was. The only linking factor was their supposed ties to the moon.

Jesse sat back to gulp down the second cup of coffee the barista, Emily she said her name was, had brought over. So far he was not really making any progress with his search, not that he really knew what he was searching for in the first place. He spent some time looking into the followers of these moon deities, sacred sites and temples and so on. While it was all rather fascinating it was in essence useless. He sighed and opened up the last link he had stumbled across, deciding that he should give it a rest after this one.

The linked site described various items and symbols associated with lunar deities. He thumbed through the list, nothing really catching his eye until he saw the flowers. He tapped the small image, trying to zoom in on the blooms. It was the same flowers he had seen that night. The same ones that had sprouted in the spot where He had sat.

He turned to dig in his pack, coming up with a tattered book he always carried, a cheap western romance his Ma had always enjoyed. Pressed between the pages was one of the flowers. He had absent-mindedly picked it that night. Fearing that it would have faded by now he was surprised to find that it was still a luminous white, even though it had been pressed for nearly a month.

“Oh my! What a pretty bloom!” Emily exclaimed as she walked up with yet another refill on that coffee, “It’s a Moon Flower right?”

“You’ve seen it before?” Jesse asked, perking up.

“Oh yeah, they’re pretty common around this time of year. My Gran always told me they bloom in time with the Winter Solstice. You know, the longest night of the year?”

Is that right?” Jesse said and stared down at the flower.

“It’s supposedly a special one this year, with a full moon on the same night. Very rare.”

“Wow, lucky me then,” Jesse said, stroking a finger over the soft petals.

“I’ve never seen such well preserved one though, it’s really beautiful,” she continued.

“That it is,” Jesse said wistfully.

“Ooooh!” Emily crooned, “Who is it? The person that makes you smile like that?” she gushed, leaning in close.

Jesse chuckled, feeling his cheeks heat slightly.

“I have no idea, Darlin’. No idea at all.”

***

December 22nd. The day of the Winter Solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere at least. Jesse sat in a bar, as he usually did around this time of year, nursing a glass of bourbon. Oddly enough, he didn’t really feel like drinking much. It was about a week after his first encounter with Emily. She had left town the night before for her UK trip. Jesse was kind of sad to bid her farewell, she was a sweet girl. 

Emily had pointed him to a cheap, but still decent, B&B where he could crash for a few days. He had been glad to discover a bar within walking distance but now he sat staring at his drink instead of enjoying it like he had planned.

The bar was pretty quiet; a few folks sat spread out throughout the space, each minding their own. Jesse could see the bright moonlight shining down through the rather grimy windows. It made his heart flutter in his chest. He had no idea why. What exactly was he expecting? A revelations-esc event where his beautiful stranger descended on a cloud? Not likely.

He sighed and downed the last bit of bourbon before making his way to the door. Instead of heading back to his room he decided to take a bit of a stroll. It might not be the most advisable to be out this late, alone and in a strange town but Jesse was hardly defenseless. He walked through the nearly empty streets, just following his feet, deliberately not looking up at the moon. He halted at the edge of a small park. It wasn’t the prettiest space, clearly needing some tlc, but it was charming in it’s own way. He made his way to a bench marred with years of graffiti and sat down with a groan. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. The night was chilly but McCree kind of liked the cold. It reminded him of the cold desert nights of his childhood, spent in front of a fire with his family.

“I can practically hear you thinking from all the way up there, you know?” a voice said behind him, making him jump.

“Jesus Christ!” he cried, spinning to regard the speaker.

“No, not quite.” The shining figure said with a smile.

“It’s you!” Jesse exclaimed, reaching up to feel at the back of his head, “And I didn’t bump my head this time!”

“Would you prefer a bump to the head?”

“Um, no. Not really.” Jesse said sheepishly.

“Good, because I’d prefer you not being hurt whenever we speak.”

“So, you are real,” Jesse murmured, taking a step around the bench to move closer.  
The god standing before him, and yes he totally believed him to be a divine being now, was stunning. His outfit was different than before, made of a brighter material that seemed to shine with the same brilliance as his skin. One of his arms was free from the flowing robe, revealing a perfectly sculpted chest. The little points of light embedded in the skin of his arm still reminded Jesse of a constellation but he couldn’t quite make out which one. Inky hair fell down around his face and tumbled down to his waist. Jesse smiled when he recognized the flowers braided into sections of the silky strands. The Moon Flowers. A sweet smell seemed to fill the air that made Jesse’s heart speed up. Not to mention the way those lips-

“Jesse?”

Jesse snapped out of his staring, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“Oh, sorry Sweatheart. I was just caught up in all of this for a second,” he said with a chuckle, motioning with his hands at the god.

He received a chuckle in return that made his heart do flips.

“You’ve been staring for almost five minutes,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh shit, for real? I’m so sorry Sweetheart, I didn’t realize,” he said, feeling a little more embarrassed.

“Why do you call me that?”

“Um, call you what?” Jesse asked, slightly taken aback.

“Sweetheart? That is not my name. I am Tsukuyomi.”

“Oh, um it’s just a little thing I do with people I like. And I’m afraid I’ll say your name wrong if I tried,” he admitted sheepishly.

“So you like me then?”

“Well yeah. Suppose I do,” Jesse said with a small smile, feeling a bit like a teenager admitting a crush.

The deity was silent for a moment; Jesse didn’t dare look into his eyes.

“You can call me Hanzo, if that might be easier to say,” he said in a small voice, sounding almost shy, “I wouldn’t be opposed to ‘Sweetheart’ either, on occasion.”

Jesse looked up, beaming.

“Careful, I am supposed to be the radiant one,” Hanzo said with a fond smile.

“That you are, Sweetheart. That you are.”

**Author's Note:**

> So there,
> 
> I know it's a bit slow and weird and sappy but I'm enjoying it. I think I'm gonna heat things up in future chapters, probably closer to the end of the week, maybe. Also, not sure yet why Hanzo is so taken with this random mortal just yet. Maybe it's the hat? 
> 
> (A little Emily cameo in there and hints at the lovely Lena because why not :D )


End file.
